Human rights group CAGE says its permanent loss of funding from two British charities is another manifestation of the Charity Commission's “Cold War” on Islam. The funding was cut following a regulatory alert issued by the Commission last week.

The charities’ decision
to sever links with CAGE surfaced in the wake of mounting
controversy over its links to Islamic State militant Mohammed
Emwazi, otherwise known as ‘Jihadi John.’

British MPs and media commentators have vilified the human rights
group in recent weeks for suggesting UK intelligence agency MI5
may have contributed to Emwazi’s radicalization.

The Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust (JRCT) followed the Roddick
Foundation’s lead in agreeing to terminate its funding grants to
CAGE on Friday. It had formerly expressed reluctance to do so.

The JRCT’s decision was prompted by pressure from Britain’s
government-controlled charity regulator, at a time when Amnesty
International was also reportedly considering cutting ties with
CAGE.

Amandla Thomas-Johnson, a representative of CAGE, said the group
thanks its former trustees for their support.

He said CAGE had anticipated the decision, after William
Shawcross – a leading representative of neo-conservative think
tank the Henry Jackson Society – became head of the commission.

Thomas-Johnson stressed the commission’s actions are another
example of its objective of “pursuing a Cold War on British
Islam.”

However, he said both the JRCT and Roddick foundation have played
“a significant role” in contributing to the development
of “Muslim civil society” in Britain.

In a formal statement, the JRCT said its decision to cease
funding CAGE had been influenced by regulatory pressure.

It said the move was also prompted by a desire to “protect
the interests” of all its grantees and the wider work of the
trust.

The JRCT stressed, however, it rejects violence and holds a deep
belief in the rights and worth of “every human being.”

The charity added “due legal process” is imperative for
all individuals, irrespective of what reprehensible crimes they
may have committed. Without this legal process, destructive
“cycles of violence” may never be broken, it suggested.

The Charity Commission said it inquired about the nature of
donations handed to CAGE by the JRCT and Roddick Foundation, and
subsequently requested the charities cease awarding grants to the
advocacy group. It cited a risk to public trust as a primary
concern.

“Given the nature of [CAGE’s] work, and the controversy it
has attracted, the Charity Commission has been concerned that
such funding risked damaging public trust and confidence in
charity,” it said.

The Commission insisted it had concerns regarding CAGE prior to
the Emwazi revelations. It said these concerns were compounded by
CAGE’s responses to media probing over its connection with the
Islamic State militant.

In the wake of reports identifying Emwazi as ‘Jihadi John,’ CAGE
director Asim Quereshi revealed the group had liaised regularly
with the West Londoner in previous years.

CAGE maintained UK security services had played a role in
radicalizing Emwazi, and appeared hesitant to explicitly denounce
his actions.

Following the JCRT and Roddick Foundation’s decision to sever
funding ties with CAGE, a spokesperson for the group said he
respected the charities’ decision.

Nevertheless, he insisted the human rights group’s commitment to
“speaking truth to power” would remain resolute.

He added CAGE will continue to call for transparency and
accountability, and will persist in its role as
“whistleblowers and as advocates for due process.”

The Charity Commission confirmed last week it has
“scrutinized” the JRCT and Roddick Foundation’s links to
CAGE since December 2013.

As part of this probe, it said it had analyzed whether the grants
CAGE received were appropriate and whether its trustees “had
ensured that their charitable grants were used for exclusively
charitable purposes.”

RT asked the commission on Friday whether its inquiry had
uncovered anything unusual with respect to CAGE’s financial
activities.

The regulator failed to answer the question directly, but said it
planned to publish a related report once the probe is complete.

Although its inquiry
into CAGE’s trustees remains incomplete, the commission issued a
regulatory alert to all UK-based charities last week to
“exercise greater vigilance when considering funding
non-charitable bodies.”